Kiffin (far right) on the sidelines with other defensive coaches at USC. (Neon Tommy)

USC assistant football coach Monte Kiffin announced Thursday that he will resign from his position after USC's bowl game to pursue coaching opportunities in the NFL, according to USCTrojans.com.

"I wanted to make this announcement now so that our players who are preparing for the bowl game and our recruits who will be visiting campus are aware," said Kiffin. "I really enjoyed my time at USC and the opportunity I had to work with our players and coaches. The chance to work for my son, Lane, was unique and memorable, but we always treated each other professionally on a coach-to-coach basis.

"Although things didn't always go as well as we would have liked this year from a defensive and win-loss standpoint, I will leave USC with the utmost respect for the University, the Trojan Family and, most importantly, the players I had the good fortune to coach. I see great things ahead for the USC football program."

Kiffin's son, head coach Lane Kiffin, said:  "I respect my father's decision and his desire to return to the NFL. We are very appreciative of the hard work and effort that he put in at USC these past three years. He has a tremendous passion for coaching young men and he is a phenomenal recruiter.

"The timing of this allows us to move forward now in the hiring of a new coach."

Read more of Neon Tommy's coverage of USC football here.

Reach Executive Producer Michael Juliani here.